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11 January 2006
Avoiding Rear-End Collisions

A defensive driver needs to keep a safe interval between his vehicle and the vehicle ahead. A driving technique called the timed interval can help drivers make a more accurate judgment of safe distance at different speeds, in fair weather and foul.

The timed interval technique can be used at any speed. It is based on the distance a vehicle will travel in a given period of time. A four second interval should allow an adequate stopping distance for passenger cars and two-axle trucks under normal driving conditions. This interval should be increased to six seconds or more for larger axle combinations or when poor road conditions exist. Because conditions vary, these timed intervals should be used only as a general indication of whether you are following too close.

The timed interval strategy is used like this:
  1. Notice the vehicle ahead as it reaches some fixed object (sign, tree, marker, etc.) close to the roadside.

  2. At that moment, as the vehicle in front of you passes the object, count at a medium pace in this manner: "one thousand and one, one thousand and two," and so on, until your vehicle reaches the object. (Each count approximates a second.)
If your vehicle passes the object before you reach "one thousand and four" or higher, depending upon the driving conditions, then you are following too closely and should slow down.


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